ProTeam Lotto Soudal on the offensive at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Following a fast start to the 108^th Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a breakaway of eleven riders gradually formed, which also included the Lotto Soudal duo Sylvain Moniquet-Harm Vanhoucke. The breakaway worked together quite well but the bunch never granted them more than around six minutes advantage. When the race reached Bastogne, after which the ascents followed in a rapid pace, the peloton increased its speed. On the tough roads in the Belgian Ardennes, both the peloton and breakaway were gradually thinned out. Six riders remained of the original breakaway with Vanhoucke and Moniquet still present. A massive crash at 60 kilometres from the finish, in the descent towards Col du Rosier, caused chaos and splits in the peloton. The decisive moment in Liège-Bastogne-Liège came just over the summit of La Redoute, where Remco Evenepoel launched a solo attack. The Belgian bridged towards Vanhoucke and Moniquet and left Armirail – last man standing of the early break – behind as the final climb of La Roche-aux-Faucons began. Evenepoel arrived solo in Liège to take victory. Sylvain Moniquet was the first Lotto Soudal rider across the finish in 31^st place.

Sylvain Moniquet: “The plan was to go in the early breakaway and that succeeded. I attacked almost from kilometre zero and opened up a gap. A little bit later, a group including teammate Vanhoucke joined. With an early breakaway of eleven riders, I realised that we could go far. There was a good understanding between the riders and eventually we reached the foot of La Redoute with six, where the group completely exploded. The many cheers from the spectators on La Redoute really gave me goosebumps all the way up. Unfortunately, I just lacked that little bit to follow Armirail to be the first with him over the summit. Afterwards, it was just a case of giving it all until the finish, where I sprinted for 17^th place. The legs were completely empty and I obtained the best possible result.”

Besides Moniquet, also 24-year-old Harm Vanhoucke chose – just like last year – to attack during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “I wanted to avoid the nervousness and fight for the front rows of the bunch by being part of the early breakaway. That plan worked out really well but I had maybe hoped for a slightly stronger breakaway group. In an ideal scenario, our break would have gone all the way to Roche-aux-Faucons but the headwind made it very difficult to execute that plan. The main thing to take away from today is that La Doyenne is a race that suits me and where I can cherish the ambition to ride the final in the future”, Harm Vanhoucke concludes.

Philippe Gilbert certainly got goosebumps as well on the climb up La Redoute. During his final participation , the Lotto Soudal rider was part of the peloton that started the ascent but had to let go the bunch on the steep slopes. “The crowd was there all day long but the climb of La Redoute was still on another level. The atmosphere was unique and it was great to hear my name so often. It was a very special moment but I kept my focus on the race itself. Unfortunately, I had to let the group go but I’ll never forget my final time up La Redoute”, Philippe Gilbert said.

Tim Wellens was involved in the massive crash on the descent towards Col du Rosier and was unable to defend his chances during his tenth participation at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Apart from abrasions, the Lotto Soudal rider did not incur further injuries.

Images: Maxime Van der Wielen.